Loyola University New Orleans hosts special screening of long-lost documentary about famed Mardi Gras Indian Chief Allison “Tootie” Montana

The School of Communication and Design is honored to present a documentary lost since Hurricane Katrina showcasing the life and artistry of the late Allison “Tootie” Montana, who led the Yellow Pocahontas Black Masking Indians as its big chief for 50 years

Students in Will Horton’s documentary filmmaking class will host the event, which will take place Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Nunemaker Auditorium, in the Monroe Science Complex. A panel discussion with the filmmakers will follow.

Horton directed the documentary, “Testimony of a Big Chief,” as a young filmmaker, and it screened as part of an exhibit about Tootie in 1997 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. However, the film’s producers feared the original footage lost forever to the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Horton said.

The public had not seen the documentary in 25 years when the producers, Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, stumbled upon a DVD of the completed film in 2022 and had it digitally remastered, he said. Horton said he decided to create a learning environment around the film by integrating it into his documentary class.

The event is open and free to the public, but seating is limited. Reserve a seat here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/testimony-of-a-big-chief-tickets-7726451012...